Telugu Funda’s reveal of the basic plot:
The story is set in Kurnool in the present day. Shiva (Viswant), a medical student, is shell-shocked that suspicious deaths are taking place in the town. A tough cop named Vaishnavi (Shilpa Manjunath), going by autopsy reports, initially believes the incidents are either accidents or suicides. But a deep dive into the murders reveals that three different parts of a medieval-era weapon are the common link. How Shiva’s involvement in the case unravels an earth-shattering, evil plan is what the thriller is about.
Telugu Funda’s take on the Performances:
Viswant should have shown intensity, given the high-stakes nature of the investigation his character finds himself a part of. Shilpa Manjunath is not one-note, but she fails to bring a certain graveness to her cop character. Rhea Sachdeva, as Shiva’s girlfriend, gets limited screen time. Dayanand Reddy is seen as the autopsy guy. Surya Kumar Bhagvandas is seen as a know-all stock character who overdoes his expositions. Viva Raghava, who plays a convenient smart geek, is a letdown.
Telugu Funda’s take on the Technical Output:
Lijo K Jose’s background score is neither thunderous nor gentle. It’s as if the music director wanted to compensate for what was lacking in substance with sound. Chinna Raam’s cinematography is decent. Amar Reddy Kudumula’s editing is average.
The film, produced by Sahasra Entertainments, needed better scale to mount the climax sequence. Even if your target is the OTT audience, you must show ambition when your plot demands shots involving crowds and a nail-biting event.
Telugu Funda’s take on the Hits:
Writer-director Basireddy Rana uses a tale from history as a red herring. This keeps the audience and the players in the story in the dark about the actual threat that the cops are supposed to stop. So, when the actual plot arrives in the second hour, there is something for the audience to look forward to.
The execution is decent for a low-budget movie.
At one point, ‘Hide N Seek’ threatens to present a romantic song. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen.
Telugu Funda’s take on the Misses:
The writing is way too contrived for an investigative thriller. The cops behave like headless, untrained morons. In one scene, they would have easily extracted a lot of clues by questioning a government employee for five extra minutes. They don’t do it because the script wants Shiva to become the hero.
And then there are too many coincidences. Shiva keeps making fortuitous discoveries, while the cops continue to behave like clueless muppets.
Even when the stakes are mind-boggling, we don’t see the security system being involved at the top level. It is just three persons from a local police station who carry out the entire operation.
Telugu Funda’s Verdict:
‘Hide N Seek’ is an underwhelming investigative crime thriller.
Rating: 2/5
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